Chiropractic Pain Relief Seen On MRI

What if back pain relief could be immediately experienced from a simple, safe and natural procedure being applied to your back. Well say hello to chiropractic! According to researchers, they’ve been able to view changes in the areas of the brain that process and modulate pain using an MRI immediately following chiropractic spinal manipulation and spinal mobilization. In this recent study, researchers induced low back pain in a group of participants, then provided three forms of care: spinal manipulation, spinal mobilization and therapeutic touch. During this period, participants underwent functional MRI studies to measure changes in regions of the brain dealing with the experience of pain. Researchers concluded that chiropractic spinal manipulation, spinal mobilization and therapeutic touch all offered an immediate effect on the pain processing and modulating areas within the brain and that these changes could be why so many patients experience immediate pain relief or pain reduction after chiropractic care.

“BPA-Free” Plastics Potentially Worse

If you’ve purchased plastic related drinking containers you’ve surely noticed many products touting their "BPA-free" status. BPA or bisphenol-A is a chemical used to harden plastic and has received much bad press over the recent years due to studies linking it to brain and behavior issues in children and infants, altered hormone levels, obesity and cancer, to name a few. Unfortunately, new research from Canada shows the replacement being used for BPA, BPS or bisphenol-S, has now also become a cause for concern. Researchers from the University of Calgary have now found BPS to cause changes in the brain development of zebra fish embryos at extremely low doses. Authors of the study state their findings are directly relevant to humans, especially for women in their second trimester of pregnancy.

Insurance Provider Paying Members To Be Healthy

Ring in the new year with some increased physical activity and your health insurance company just may reward you! New York and New Jersey health plan provider Oscar Health Insurance will pay its members up to $240 per year in Amazon.com gift cards from simply walking. Members who sign up for their walking program consisting of wearable watches that communicate with tracking software can walk their way to rewards. Since increased walking is associated with positive health benefits and healthy people cost insurance companies far less to insure, it seems like a win-win for members and the insurance provider.